The Afghan parliament has faced impasse after a special court in June called for the removal of 62 sitting lawmakers, saying they won their seats through fraud. Afghanistan’s September 2010 ballot was plagued by fraud and voter intimidation. Monitors discarded 1.3 million ballots — nearly a quarter of the total — and disqualified 19 winning candidates for cheating.

But Karzai decreed the Independent Election Commission, which organized the crooked fraud-plagued vote, has final say. Many international observers have criticized Karzai for trying to keep the illegitimate results in place in order to pack the legislature with his supporters.